PRM3701/101/3/2015 Tutorial letter 101/3/2015 Project Management PRM3701 Semester 1 and Semester 2 Department of Business Management IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Please activate your myUnisa and myLife email addresses and ensure you have regular access to the myUnisa module site PRM3701-2015-S1/PRM3701-2015- $2 as well as your group site. Note: This is an online module, and therefore your module is available on myUnisa. However, in order to support you in your learning process, you will also receive some study materials in printed format. Fant orien sen wots UNISACONTENTS Table of Contents 1A 2A 22 34 32 3.3 51 52 61 62 63 7A 72 73 74 75 76 84 82 83 84 10 INTRODUCTION 3 To get started 3 OVERVIEW OF THIS MODULE: PRM3701 3 Purpose 3 Outcomes 3 LECTURER AND CONTACT DETAILS 4 Lecturer 4 Department, 4 University. 4 PRESCRIBED TEXTBOOK 4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES 5 Joining myUnisa 5 Other resources — Printed support materials... - 5 HOW TO STUDY THIS MODULE ONLINE . 6 What it means to study fully online? 6 The myUnisa tools you will use. 6 Information on tutorial offerings at Unisa. 7 ASSESSMENT. 7 Assessment plan 7 Compulsory assignment 8 General remarks 8 Due dates of assignments 8 Submission of assignments 9 Assignments 9 EXAMINATION 9 Examination admission 9 Calculation of your final mark. 9 Format of the examination paper .. 10 Alternative assessment to assist students who qualify for final year concessions 10 CONCLUSION. ADDENDUM.PRM3701/101/3/2015 1 INTRODUCTION Dear Student Welcome to the FULLY ONLINE module PRM3701. We shall do our best to make your study of this course interesting and rewarding. You will be well on your way to success if you start studying early in the year and resolve to do your assignments properly. Students must be registered for a myLife email address and must be able to access myUnisa to be able to access their study material, submit assignments, gain access to the library functions and various learning resources, download study material, “chat” to their lecturers and fellow students about their studies and the challenges they encounter, as well as participate in online discussion forums. Because this is a fully online module, you need to use myUnisa to study and complete the learning activities for this course. You need to visit the website on myUnisa for PRM3701 frequently. The website for your module is PRM3701-15-S1/PRM3701-15-S2. 1.1 To get started... Because this is a fully online module, you need to go online to see your study material and read What to do for the module, Go to the website here: https://my.unisa.ac.za and login with your student number and password. You will see PRM3701-15-S1/PRM3701-15-S2 in the row of modules in the orange blocks across the top of the webpage. Remember to also check in the - more- tab if you cannot find it in the orange blocks. Click on the module you want to open. In addition, you will receive this tutorial letter and a printed copy of the online study material from your module. While these printed materials may appear to be different from the online study material, they are exactly the same and have been copied from the online myUnisa website, We wish you success on your journey! 2 OVERVIEW OF THIS MODULE: PRM3701 24 Purpose Students who successfully complete this module will be able to equip themselves with the necessary competence to discharge all of the responsibilities of a project manager. At the end of this module, the qualifying student should be able to apply project management principles in practice. The module is delivered via myUnisa, the internet, peer group interaction, and community engagement in some of the activities. Your lecturers will interact with students on myUnisa and via email. 2.2 Outcomes For this module we hope you will be able to familiarise yourself with the core aspects of project management and the tools and techniques used, thereby enabling you to quickly become a useful and productive member of a project team in your chosen industry and profession, The workplace for the active project manager can be an immensely satisfying and a rewarding one; conversely, it can also be hard and unforgiving. Project management implies taking on a lot of responsibility; and stakeholders will be looking to you to produce project results. With thiscourse, we shall give you many pertinent insights into the discipline of project management and thereby also help you to decide whether project management is a good career choice for you. 3 LECTURER AND CONTACT DETAILS 3.1 Lecturer The primary lecturer for this module is Zainab Aziz Department of Business Management Telephone: 012 429 3427 Email: azizz@unisa.ac.za The secondary lecturer for this module is Alfred Sithole Department of Business Management Telephone: 012 429 8970 Email: sithoa@unisa.ac.za 3.2 Department The Department of Business Management can be contacted as follows: Telephone number: 012 429 6426 E-mail: busman@unisa.ac.za 3.3 University To contact the University, you should follow the instructions in the myStudies @ Unisa brochure. Remember to have your student number available when you contact the University When you contact the lecturer, please do not forget to always include your student number. This will help the lecturers to assist you. 4 PRESCRIBED TEXTBOOK Your prescribed textbook for this module is: Larson, E.W & Gray, C.F. 2013. Project Management: The Managerial Process. 5th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin, (ISBN: 9780077164201) OR Larson, E.W & Gray, C.F. 2011. Project Management: The Managerial Process. 5th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin. (ISBN: 9780071289290) Ensure that the textbook you purchase includes the compact disc (CD). This will make accessing the additional study material and especially the on-line quizzes much easier to access. If the CD is not available with your textbook, access the textbook web site on www.mhhe.com/larsongraySe.PRM3701/101/3/2015 Please note Itis essential that you either acquire or have the prescribed textbook at your disposal We recommend that you purchase the prescribed book as you will have to study it thoroughly and refer to it frequently. We suggest that you try to obtain the book as soon as possible. 5 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES 5.1 Joining myUnisa If you have access to a computer that is linked to the internet, you can quickly access resources and information at the University. The myUnisa learning management system is Unisa's online campus that will help you to communicate with your lecturers, with other students and with the administrative departments of Unisa — all through the computer and the internet. You can start at the main Unisa website, http:/www.unisa.ac.za, and then click on the myUnisa orange block. This will take you to the myUnisa website. To go to the myUnisa website directly, go to https://my.unisa.ac.za, When you are on the myUnisa website, click on the “Claim UNISA Login” at the right-hand side of the screen. You will then be prompted to give your student number to claim your initial myUnisa as well as myLife login details. Please consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa which you received with your study material from for more information on myUnisa. 5.2 Other resources — Printed support materials Because we want you to be successful in this online module, we also provide you with some of the study material in printed format. This will allow you to read the study materials, even if you are not online. + These printed study material will be sent to you at the beginning of the semester, but you do not have to wait to receive them to start studying — you can go online as soon as you register and all your study material will be there + Therefore, the printed materials are not something that you need to wait for before you start with the module. itis only an offline copy of the formal content for the online module. + This will give you the chance to do a lot of the studying of this module WITHOUT having to go to the internet or to an internet cafe. This will save you money, of course, and you will be able to take as much time as you need to read the materials and do the activities. Itis therefore very important that you log into myUnisa regularly. We recommend that you should do this at least every week or every 10 days to check for the following + Check for new Announcements. You can also set up your myLife email so that you receive the Announcement emails on your cell phone. + Do the Discussion forum activities. For every unit in this module, we want you to share with the other people in your group in the activities. You can read the instructions here and even prepare your answers but you need to go online to post your messages. + Do other online activities, For some of the unit activities, you need to post something on the Blog or take a quiz or complete a survey in Self-Assessment. Don't skip these activities because they will help you to complete the assignments and activities for the module.We hope that this system will help you to succeed in this online module by giving you extra ways to study the material and practice with all of the activities and assignments. At the same time, you MUST go online in order to complete the activities and assignments on time and to get the most from the online course. Remember, the printed support materials are a back-up to everything that is found online, on mylUnisa. There are no extra things there. In other words, you should NOT wait for the printed support materials to arrive to start studying. 6 HOW TO STUDY THIS MODULE ONLINE 6.1 What it means to study fully online? These modules are taught fully online — + This means that it is totally different from some of your other modules at Unisa. + This means that all your study materials and learning activities are designed to be online, on myUnisa. Even though we give you a printed copy to support your studies, the module is designed for online. + This means that all of your assignments must be submitted online. It means that you do all your activities and submit all your assignments on myUnisa. In other words, you can NOT post your assignments through the South African Postal Service. + This means that all of the communication between yourself and the University also happens online — by email, in discussions and through questions and answers. You can use all of these ways to ask questions and contact your lecturers. This also means that your lecturers will communicate with you in the same way — through emails, with announcements, in discussions and with questions and answers. 6.2 The myUnisa tools you will use The tools (on the left hand side of the PRM3701 page) that will be used during the facilitation of this module are: + Learning Units: Here you will be guided to access your study material for the course, example the study topics 1 to 6 as well as your assignments 1 and 2 as well as the self assessment. * FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions): Here you will find the answers to most of our student enquiries. Please do the following: Read the FAQ section thoroughly before you commence with your studies. Much of the information which was available in the old 101 series tutorial letters will be found here. Always check here first before contacting us directly. Many of the questions which students typically have are already answered here. + Assignments: Here you can submit your assignments as well as monitor your results * Announcements announcement. : From time to time | will draw your attention to important matters via anPRM3701/101/3/2015 * Discussion forums: We will use discussions to share and explore important issues around the topic of project management in various discussion forums. We will alert you to these discussions via announcements * Blogs: From time to time | will guide you through the module here. * Official study material: Here you can access the Tutorial letter 101 (a basic introduction to the course). * Additional resources: All official study material from topics 1 to 6 and assignments 1 and 2 as well as the self-assessment can be accessed here. * Schedule: Please consult the Schedule about important dates and events such as examination dates and assignment submission dates. This will assist you in planning your own schedule and managing your timelines so that you can keep up with all the learning activities. * Prescribed Books: You will find the prescribed book that is required for this module here. * Course contact: You will find my contact details here. 6.3 _ Information on tutorial offerings at Unisa Please be informed that, with effect from 2014, Unisa offers online tutorials (e-tutoring) to students registered for modules at NF level 5, 6 and 7 which means qualifying first year, second year and third year modules. Once you have been registered for a qualifying module, you will be allocated to a group of students with whom you will be interacting during the tuition period as well as an e-tutor who will be your tutorial facilitator. Thereafter you will receive a sms informing you about your group, the name of your e-tutor and instructions on how to log onto myUnisa in order to receive further information on the e-tutoring process. Online tutorials are conducted by qualified e-tutors who are appointed by Unisa and are offered free of charge. All you need to be able to participate in e-tutoring is a computer with internet connection. If you live close to a Unisa regional Centre or a Tele-centre contracted with Unisa, please feel free to visit any of these to access the internet, E-Tutoring takes place on myUnisa Where you are expected to connect with other students in your allocated group. Itis the role of the e-tutor to guide you through your study material during this interaction process. For you to get the most out of online tutoring, you need to participate in the online discussions that the e- tutor will be facilitating 7 ASSESSMENT 7.1 Assessment plan Assignments and tutorial letters form an integral part of your tutorial matter and must also be studied for examination purposes.7.2 Compulsory assignment The submission of the compulsory assignment and the marks earned will be relevant as it will prove that you are an active student and will therefore earn you admission to the examination. ‘Admission to the examination will be obtained by submitting the compulsory assignment and not by the marks obtained for it. You will undoubtedly realise the importance of commencing your study programme in good time so that you can obtain admission to the examination and earn a good year mark. 7.3 General remarks (a) Assignments are available on myUnisa on the left select ‘Home’ then click on the link provided for each assignment. (b) The compulsory assignments (number 01 and number 02), must be submitted on or before the due date. You will receive feedback on both the assignments in Tutorial Letter PRM3701/201/3/2015. (c) Itis in your own interest to retain a copy of proof that the compulsory assignments (number 01 and number 02) was submitted so that you can produce this in the event that there should afterwards be any dispute concerning whether or not the assignment was received (d) A year-mark of 20% will contribute to your final mark. This year-mark will be calculated as an average of the marks obtained for assignment 01 and assignment 02 (if you obtain at least 40% in the examination). (f) Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of taking words, ideas and thoughts of others and passing them off as your own. It is a form of theft which involves a number of dishonest academic activities The Disciplinary Code for Students (latest version) is given to all students at registration Students are advised to study the code. Kindly read the University's Policy on Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism as well. PLEASE NOTE: Enquiries about assignments must be addressed to assign@unisa.ac.za. 7.4 Due dates of assignments Different unique numbers are allocated to the two assignments. Please make sure that you provide the correct unique number on the mark-reading sheet. Both the compulsory and self-assessment assignments for 2015 for the module PRM3701 are set out in the ADDENDUM of this tutorial letter. The closing dates for the submission of the assignments are: First semester (01) ‘Second semester (02) Assignment number Due Date Unique Due Date Unique number number oF 22 April 2015 597826 19 August 2015 599398PRM3701/101/3/2015 02 1 March 2015 597827 30 September 2015 | 599410 Self-Assessment | Not required for submission Not required for submission 7.5 Submission of assignments You need to submit assignments electronically via myUnisa. Submit assignments using myUnisa: © Goto http://my.unisa.ac.za Enter your student number and password Select the module Click on assignments in the left-hand menu. Click on the assignment number you want to submit. Follow the instructions on the screen. 7.6 Assignments Refer to ADDENDUM for assignment questions, The questions are also on myUnisa, under the Additional Resources too! on the left hand tab. The memorandum with explanations will be provided 2 weeks after the official assignment submission date. Answers for the self-assessment will be provided together with the answers for assignment 2. All answers will be posted under Additional Resources as well. NB: Assignment 01 and Assignment 02 are multiple choice assignments and therefore can only be submitted electronically via myUnisa. The self-assessment is for exam preparation purposes only. Do not attempt to submit the answers to myUnisa. 8 EXAMINATION Use your my Studies @ Unisa brochure for general examination guidelines and examination preparation guidelines. 8.1 Examination admission The submission of the compulsory assignment and the mark earned will be relevant as it will prove that you are an active student and will therefore earn you admission to the examination. Admission will be obtained by submitting the compulsory assignment and not by the marks you obtain for it. Late submission of this assignment will result in you not being admitted to the examination. 8.2 Calculation of your final mark Note: Assignment performance can primarily be to the benefit for students. It can benefit everyone to be better prepared for the examination and the assignment mark can also benefit those with a relative low examination mark between 46 and 50%. Please take note that no assignment mark will be added for students with an examination mark below 40%.Irrespective of the year mark obtained a sub-minimum of 40% must be obtained in the examination. You can therefore not pass the module if your examination mark is less than 40%. These two assignment marks (percentages) will be combined as an average_percentage mark referred to as your year mark. The year mark and your examination mark (the mark that you achieve in the examination) will be combined to calculate your final mark. Your final mark for this module will therefore consist of a combination of the year mark (average assignment mark / percentage) and the examination mark, The year mark will contribute 20% to the final mark for the module, while the examination mark will contribute 80%. Please study the following examples of how the year mark may contribute to the final mark: Example 4: The leamer submits both the compulsory Assignments 01 and 02 and earns an average year mark of 50%, This year mark of 50% is then multiplied by 0, 2 which equals 10% of the final mark, If the leamer obtains 35 out of a possible 70 marks in the examination (i.e. 50%), this percentage is then multiplied by 0, 8 which equals 40% of the final mark. The year mark and the examination mark are then combined (10% + 40%) to give a final mark of 50% for the module. Example 2: The leamer submits both the compulsory Assignments 01 and 02 and obtains an average year mark of 60%, This year mark multiplied by 0, 2 gives 12% of the final mark. The leamer then obtains 44 out of 70 marks (or 63%) in the examination. This figure is then multiplied by 0, 80 to give 50.4%. The two results are then combined to give a final mark of 62% (12% + 50.4%) for the module. 8.3 Format of the examination paper The examination paper consists of a two-hour paper. It will include short essay type questions for a total of 70 marks. Expect to write a full page for every 10 marks allocated, depending on the size of your handwriting. Giving us the facts and demonstrating insight will ensure a high grade, waffle and nonsense will get you very little. VERY IMPORTANT: All the study units in the study guide and their corresponding chapters in the textbook are prescribed for the examination. 8.4 Alternative assessment to assist students who qualify for final year concessions The myStudies @ Unisa brochure contains important information on the Final Year Concession procedure to assist students with one or two modules outstanding. The Department of Examination Administration (DEA) will inform all students who qualify for a final year (Fl) concession per sms/email For this module, FI students have the option to be referred to the next formal examination opportunity or to engage in an alternative method of assessment. For this module, the alternative method of assessment is a portfolio assessment. More information on the alternative method of assessment will be communicated directly to the qualifying students. Alternative methods of assessment are subject to stringent academic rules and processes and should not be considered an easier option, Failure to meet the leamiing outcomes of the 10PRM3701/101/3/2015 module, through the alternative method of assessment, will result in a fail and you will need to re-register for the outstanding module. 9 CONCLUSION Do not hesitate to contact your lecturer by email if you are experiencing problems with the content of this tutorial letter or any aspect of the module, I wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the leamiing material and trust that you will complete the module successfully. Enjoy the journey! Kind Regards Ms Z Aziz and Mr Alfred Sithole Lecturers for PRM3701 "10 ADDENDUM Semester 1 Assignment 01 (Compulsory) Unique number: 597826 Due date: 11 March 2015 Instructions: Review study units 9-15 before attempting this assignment. Please answer the following questions by choosing the correct answer. ‘Submit your assignment on myUnisa web page, under the tool Assignments. Question 1 Like most organisational effort, the major goal of a project is to satisfy a customer's need. Beyond this fundamental similarity, the characteristic of a project help differentiate it from other endeavours of the organisation. Which of the following is considered to be a characteristic of a project? 1. An established objective. 2. A clear beginning and end 3. Complex tasks. 4. Only for internal use. 5.1, 2 and 3 are correct. Question 2 Projects should not be confused with everyday work as a project is not routine repetitive work. From among the following activities, what would you refer to be an example of a project? 1. Processing insurance claims. 2. Producing automobiles. 3. Writing a term paper 4, Completing a college degree. 5. All of these are good examples of projects. Question 3 2. A professional organisation for project management specialists is the 1. PMI 2. AMA 3. MIS 4.1PM 5. PMBOK 12PRM3701/101/3/2015 Question 4 The integration of resources into a project is dynamic in nature and central to project management. In view of this statement, identify which of the following properties all organisations must have in order to be organic? 1. They integrate sub-units by using horizontal relations. 2. A defined start, a single purpose and a well-defined end state. 3. They have organisational structures that are differentiated to suit the unique requirements of each project and its environment. 4, Both 1 and 3 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are correct Question 5 Project managers need to understand their organisation's mission and strategy. With reference to the statement made above what would you select as the reason to why project managers need to understand their organisation's mission and strategy? 1. They can better focus on the immediate customer. 2. They can make appropriate decisions and adjustments. 3. So they can be effective project advocates. 4, Both 2 and 3 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are correct. Question 6 Strategies require actions and tasks to be implemented. In most cases the actions to be taken represent projects. The typical sequence of activities of the strategic management process is, 1. Strategies, mission, goals, projects. 2. Goals, projects, mission, strategies. 3. Mission, goals, strategies, projects. 4, Goals, mission, strategies, projects. 5. Projects, mission, strategies, goals Question 7 Projects are usually classified into all but one of the following categories. Which one is not one of the typical class ns? 1. Compliance and emergency. 2. Operational. 3. Strategic. 4. Political necessity. 5.1, 2 and 3 are correct. 134 Question 8 The structure that manages projects within the existing organisational structure is an organisation. 1. Functional 2. Balanced matrix, 3. Weak matrix. 4, Strong matrix. 5. Project. Question 9 organisation is a hybrid form in which a horizontal project management structure is overlaid in the normal functional hierarchy. 1. Functional. 2. Matrix. 3. Project 4. Balanced, 5. 1, 2, and 3 are all correct, Question 10 Jose is looking at a document that outlines the specific tasks and subtasks required to complete the writing of a technical support manual. The method that was probably used to develop the document is most likely 1. Responsibility matrix. 2. Organisation breakdown structure. 3. Work breakdown structure. 4. Priority matrix. 5. Work package. Question 11 The first step in creating the necessary information to manage a project is to 1. Establish project priorities. 2. Define the project scope 3. Verify the budget available. 4. Assign team members to work on the project 5. Determine the required completion date. Question 12 An expected output over the life of a project would be classified as 1. A deliverable. 2. A product.PRM3701/101/3/2015 3. An end object. 4. An objective. 5. A target. Question 13 ‘Assuming work packages are defined, detailed cost estimates can be made. What would you consider a direct project cost? 1. Labor. 2. Materials. 3. Equipment. 4. Both 1 and 2 are direct costs. 5. 1, 2, and 3 are considered direct costs, Question 14 People working on prototype development needing time to interact with the design engineers after the design is completed is an example of 1, Hidden interaction costs. 2. Things going wrong on a project. 3. Normal conditions not applying 4, Changes in project scope. 5. None of these are correct. Question 15 ‘An AON project network uses which of the following basic building blocks? 1. Arrows, 2. Bars, 3. Nodes. 4, Both 1 and 3 are correct. 5. 1, 2, and 3 are correct, Question 16 activities must be completed immediately before a particular activity. 1. Merge 2. Burst 3. Predecessor 4, Successor 5. Critical 1516 Question 17 The backward pass in project network calculations determines the 1. Latest time's activities can begin, 2. Earliest time's activities can be finished. 3. Critical path, 4. Both 1 and 2 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are correct, Question 18 As a project manager how would you calculate the early finish for an acti 1. LS + DUR. 2. ES + DUR 3. LF + DUR. 4.ES + SL. 5. LF + SL. Question 19 The attempt to recognise and manage potential and unforeseen trouble spots that may occur when a project is implemented is known as 1. Risk forecasting 2. Risk management. 3. Contingency planning 4, Scenario analysis. 5. Disaster protection Question 20 Arisk profile is a list of questions that address traditional areas of uncertainty of a project. Which of the following is typically included in risk profiles? 1, Management aspects 2. Market aspects. 3. Technical aspects, 4. Both 1 and 3 are included 5.1, 2, and 3 are included. END OF ASSIGNMENT 1 SEMESTER 1.PRM3701/101/3/2015 Semester 2 Assignment 01 (Compulsory) Unique number: 599398 Due date: 19 August 2015 Instructions: Review study units 1-8 before attempting this assignment. Please answer the following questions by choosing the correct answer. ‘Submit your assignment on myUnisa web page, under the tool Assignments. Question 1 Project management is no longer a special-need management. It is 1. Becoming a standard way of doing business. 2. Increasingly contributing to achieving organisational strategies. 3. Being used at a consistent percentage of a firm's efforts 4, Both 1 and 2 are true. 5.1, 2, and 3 are true. Question 2 In which of the following stages of a project life cycle does - when project objectives are established- fall under? 1. Planning. 2. Defining 3. Executing 4. Managing. 5. Closing. Question 3 In which of the following stages is a major portion of the physical and mental project work performed? 1. Conceptualising. 2. Defining 3. Planning 4, Executing. 5. Delivering Question 4 ‘A.common rule of thumb in the world of high-tech product development is that a six-month project delay can result in a loss of product revenue share of percent. 718 Question 5 Project managers who do not understand the role that their project plays in accomplishing the organisation's strategy tend to make all the following mistakes except 1. Focusing on low priority problems. 2. Overemphasising technology as an end in and of itself. 3. Focusing on the immediate customer. 4, Trying to solve every customer issue. 5. All the above are likely mistakes. Question 6 Objectives translate the organisations mission into specific, concrete measurable terms. Characteristics of effective objectives should be 1. Smart, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time related, 2. Trustable and Measurable. 3. Smart, Identifiable and Reliable. 4. Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time related. 5. All of the above are correct. Question 7 The assessment of the external and internal environments is called a 1. SWOT analysis. 2. Competitive, 3. Industry. 4. Market. 5. Strategic. Question & Project selection criteria are typically classified as, 1. Financial and non-financial. 2. Short-term and long-term 3, Strategic and tactical. 4, Required and optional. 5, Cost and schedule. analysis.PRM3701/101/3/2015 Question 9 ‘What would you regard as a disadvantage of the functional project management organisation? 1. Lack of ownership. 2. Longer project duration, 3. Lack of focus on the project. 4. Both 1 and 2 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are correct, Question 10 Linda has just been assigned a project to develop a new advertising campaign for an established product. Her first step should be to 1. Establish project priorities. 2. Define the project scope 3. Verify the budget available. 4, Assign team members to work on the project 5. Determine the required completion date. Question 11 The ability of 911 emergency systems to identify the caller's phone number and location are considered to be a 1. Technical requirement 2. Milestone. 3. Project limit. 4. Project exclusion. 5. Project deliverable, Question 12 The tendencies for the project deliverables to expand over time—usually by changing requirements, specifications, and priorities—are called 1. Scope erosion 2. Scope creep. 3. Project bloat. 4, Scope enhancement. 5, Project add-ons, Question 13 Edward is looking over the actual results of projects and comparing them to what was estimated. He notices that projects that took six months or longer to complete were noticeably more off the estimates. Which of the following factors is he recognising? 1. Padding estimates. 1920 2. Planning horizon. 3. Project structure. 4. People 5. Organisation culture. Question 14 Arrows on an AON project network represent 1. An activity. 2. Project flow. 3. Dependency. 4. Both 2 and 3 are correct. 5. Both 1 and 3 are correct. Question 15 An activity that has more than one dependency arrow flowing into it, is termed a (n) 1. Parallel activity. 2. Critical path 3. Burst activity. 4. Merge activity. 5. Independent activity. Question 16 The critical path in a project network is the 1. Shortest path through the network 2. Longest path through the network 3. Network path with the most difficult activities. 4. Network path using the most resources. 5. Network path with the most merge activities. Question 17 activities are to be completed immediately following a particular act 1. Merge. 2. Burst. 3. Predecessor. 4, Successor. 5. Critical. Question 18 How would you calculate the late start for an activity? 1. EF -DUR, 2. ES — DUR.3. LF — DUR. 4.ES-SL. 5. LF — SLACK. Question 19 The initial step in the risk management process is to 1, Determine the level of acceptable risk. 2. Assess the risk potential 3. Identify the risks. 4. Set aside budget funds for managing the risks. 5. Appoint a risk manager. Question 20 The easiest and most commonly used technique for analysing risks is 1, Probability 2. Scenario. 3. Payback. 4. Risk/reward. 5. Impact, END OF ASSIGNMENT 1 SEMESTER 2. PRM3701/101/3/2015 analysis. 24Semester 1 Assignment 02 (Compulsory) Unique number: 597827 Due date: 22 April 2015 Instructions: Review study units 9-15 before attempting this assignment. Please answer the follo\ 9 questions by choosing the correct answer. Submit your assignment on myUnisa web page, under the tool Assignments. Question 1 Regina's boss has told her that her project is very important. If the critical path is delayed, she will be given whatever she needs to get it back on schedule. Her project is constrained 1. Time. 2. Quality 3. Cost. 4. Performance 5. Resource. Question 2 An alternative approach to the problem has been the use of heurit problems. The word heuristics means ics to solve large combinatorial 1. Resource constraints. 2. Flexibility, 3. The critical path changed. 4, Parallel activities become sequential 5, Rule of thumb. Question 3 Which of the following is not one of the common problems associated with scheduling multi-project resources? 1. Overall schedule slippage. 2. Inefficient resource utilisation 3. Resource bottlenecks. 4, Both 1 and 2 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are correct 22PRM3701/101/3/2015 Question 4 Adverse weather, design flaws, and equipment breakdown can create a negative slack. These are examples of reducing project duration caused by 1. Imposed project deadlines. 2. Time to market 3. Unforeseen project delays. 4, High overhead 5. Incentive contracts. Question 5 The shortest possible time an activity can be completed realistically is called time. 1. Expedited 2. Accelerated 3. Crash. 4, Optimistic. 5. Optimal Question 6 The cost slope of an activity can be determined by dividing the 1, Run by the rise. 2. Rise by the run 3. Crash cost by the normal cost. 4, Normal cost by the crash cost. 5. Both 2 and 3 are correct. Question 7 Which of the following is/are included in a project cost-duration graph? 1. Total indirect cost. 2. Total direct cost. 3. Total project cost. 4, Both 1 and 2 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are correct Question 8 The first step in the project control process of the measurement and evaluation of project, performance is to 1. Set a baseline plan. 2. Determine the project objectives. 3, Determine the project deliverables. 4. Analyse the project budget 2324 5. Review the project priority matrix. Question 9 Earned value is not new, the private sector has come to depend on the system for managing multiple and large projects. The earned value of a project is the 1. Project cost to date adjusted for project scope changes. 2. Total project cost to date. 3. Cost incurred minus the planned cost. 4. Percent of the original budget that has been earned by actual work. 5. None of these are correct. Question 10 The schedule variance for a project is calculated by: 1. EV-AC. 2. AC-SV. 3. PV-EV, 4. CUEV. 5. EV-PV, Question 11 The final project report summarises project performance and provides useful information for continuous improvement, The content of the final report typically includes the following topics 1. Lessons learned. 2. Review and analysis. 3. Recommendations. 4, Executive summary. 5. All the above are correct. Question 12 Implementing the closure process includes several wrap-up activities. Implementing closedown includes the following major activities except 1. Getting delivery acceptance from the customer. 2. Shutting down resources and releasing to new uses. 3. Closing accounts and seeing all bills are paid. 4. E-mail the project team that the project is complete. 5. Creating a final report. Question 13, Project leadership is about coping with 1, Formulating plans and objectives. 2. Monitoring results against plans.PRM3701/101/3/2015 3. Change. 4. Taking corrective action when necessary. 5. All of these are part of leadership. Question 14 Groups such as human resources, information systems, purchasing agents, and maintenance are typically classified as 1. Project managers. 2. Administrative support. 3. Functional managers. 4. Project sponsors 5. Customers. Question 15 To successfully manage a project, a manager must adroitly build a cooperative network among divergent allies. Networks are mutually beneficial alliances that are generally governed by the law of 1. Supply-demand. 2. Brooks's law. 3. Reciprocity, 4. A squeaky wheel. 5. Risk-reward. Question 16 Which of the following would be defined as the ability or skill to perceive, assess and manage the emotions of one’s self and others? 1. Emotional stability. 2. Coolness under pressure. 3. Emotional intelligence. 4, Empathy. 5. Management sensitivity. Question 17 During which stage of team development is the team fully functional and accepted? 1. Norming 2. Storming. 3. Performing. 4, Adjourning. 5. Forming 2526 Question 18 During which stage of team development do team members try to find out what behaviours are acceptable and what performance expectations are? 1. Norming 2. Storming. 3. Performing 4, Adjourning. 5. Forming Question 19 The first team meeting sets the tone of how the team will work together. What would you select as an objective of the first project team meeting? 1. Overview the project's scope and objectives. 2. Address interpersonal interaction concerns. 3. Model how the team will work together. 4. Both 1 and 3 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are correct. Question 20 Facilitating group decision making essentially involves four major steps. The first step in facilitating group decision making is to 1. Call a meeting to discuss the problem. 2. Identify the problem. 3. Agree that there is a problem. 4. Quantify the problem. 5. Generate alternatives, END OF ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 1.PRM3701/101/3/2015 Semester 2 Assignment 02 (Compulsory) Unique number: 599410 Due date: 30 September 2015 Instructions: Review study units 9-15 before attempting this assignment. Please answer the following questions by choosing the correct answer. ‘Submit your assignment on myUnisa web page, under the tool Assignments. Question 1 ‘Sam who is the project engineer has been scheduled to run the product system test at the same time he is to build a marketing prototype. This is an example of a constraint. 1. Physical. 2. Technical 3, Resource. 4. Scheduling, 5. Time. Question 2 Ina resource-constrained project, which of the following is most likely to be changed? 1. The completion date. 2. The budget. 3. Project quality. 4. Both 1 and 2 are equally likely. 5.1, 2, and 3 are equally likely. Question 3 A contractor finished a bridge across a lake 18 months early and received more than R6 million for the early completion. This is an example of reducing project duration caused by 1. Imposed project deadlines. 2. Time to market. 3. Unforeseen project delays 4, High overhead. 5. Incentive contracts. ar28 Question 4 Project costs are generally classified as costs. 1. Direct, 2. Indirect. 3. Overhead, 4. Both 1 and 2 are correct. 5. 1, 2, and 3 are correct. Question 5 Managers have several effective methods for crashing specific project activities when resources are not constrained. The most common method fer shortening project time is to 1. Subcontract activities 2. Compromise the quality 3. Add additional staff and equipment 4. Work overtime 5. Reduce the project scope Question 6 If a network has several critical or near-critical paths it is deemed to be 1. Well planned. 2. The lowest cost alternative. 3. Resource-constrained. 4, Sensitive. 5. In-sensitive. Question 7 Data collected are determined by which metrics will be used for project control. Adequate project control has the advantage(s) of 1. Holding people accountable. 2. Prevents small problems from getting large. 3. Keeping focus. 4. Both 1 and 2 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are correct. Question & A typical tool used to communicate project status is a: 1. Project network diagram. 2. Gantt Chart. 3. APERT chart. 4, Both 1 and 2 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are correct.PRM3701/101/3/2015 Question 9 How would you calculate the cost variance for a project is calculated by? 1. EV-AC. 2. AC-SV. 3. PV-EV. 4, CUEV, 5. EU-PV. Question 10 Small refinements that eventually build to be major changes are known as 1. Project erosion. 2. Scope creep. 3. Specification adjustments. 4, Specification refinements. 5. Continuos improvements. Question 11 Closing out is often messy and filled with untied ends. 1. Project review meetings. 2. Reports. 3. Invoices. 4, Teams. 5. Contracts. Question 12 A majority of projects are blessed with a well-defined ending. Project closures can fall into all of the following categories except 1. Premature 2. Perpetual: 3. Failed, 4. Changed priority. 5. All of these are categories for project closure. Question 13 In organisations where projects are managed within a , the team member's area manager, not the project manager, is responsible for assessing performance 1. Functional organisation 2. Matrix organisation. 3. Flat organisation. 294. Both 1 and 2 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are all correct. Question 14 Project success or failure often depends upon the contributions of all of the following except 1. Customers 2. Suppliers. 3. Contractors. 4. Competitors. 5. Top management. Question 15 During which stage of team development do members accept that they are part of a project group but resist the constraints that the project and the group put on their individuality? 1. Norming. 2. Storming. 3. Performing. 4. Adjourning, 5. Forming Question 16 During which stage of team development do close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness? 1. Norming 2. Storming. 3. Performing. 4. Adjourning 5. Forming. Question 17 Project managers need to try to make the project team as tangible as possible to the participants by developing a unique team identity. Establishing a team identity is facilitated by 1. Team members working in a common space. 2. Creation of a project team name. 3. Effective use of meetings. 4, Both 1 and 2 are correct. 5.1, 2, and 3 are all correct Question 18 ‘Symptoms of groupthink include 1. The team thinking it is invincible. 30PRM3701/101/3/2015 2. Opinions of those outside the team are considered to be irrelevant. 3. Critical thinking disappears 4. Pressure is applied to any dissenter. 5. Alllof these are symptoms of groupthink, Question 19 ‘Two of the biggest challenges involved in managing a virtual project team are 1. The language barriers and time management. 2. Time management and developing trust. 3. The language barriers and developing effective pattems of communication 4. Developing trust and effective patterns of communication 5. Time management and developing effective patterns of communication. Question 20 ‘Which of the following would you select as part of the preparation process for the proposal? 1. Acceptance of the RFP. 2. A project management review of the clients RFP. 3. Communication to the client 4, Legal review of the client. 5. Both 1 and 2 are correct END OF ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2. atSelf-Assessment Not for submission Instructions: Review study units 1-16 before attempting this assignment. Complete the self-assessment but DO NOT submit it to myUnisa for marking. We have included it only to help prepare you for the final exam. Please note: You can however submit your answers to me in a word document via review (azizz@unisa.ac.za) Question 1 Compare and contrast the product life cycle with the project life cycle. Use an example in each of the comparison to support your answer. 6) Question 2 How do you differentiate between a project and a programme? (4) Question 3 Explain why project management is dynamic, (3) Question 4 Why is profitability alone not an adequate measure of a project's value to an organisation? (2) Question 5 Describe the task decision-making responsibilities in the three project management matrix structures. Further illustrate each structure to support your answer. (6) Question 6 Identify, in order from the broadest to the most specific, the six levels of the hierarchical breakdown of the WBS. (6) Question 7 Identify and briefly describe the two major categories of estimating project time and costs. (4) Question 8 "The best way to improve estimates is to collect and archive data on past projects — both on estimates and on actual performance data." Indicate whether you agree or disagree with this statement and support your answer. @) Question 9 What are the two approaches used to develop project networks? Identify the differences between them (4) Question 10 As a project manager you have to use the data in the table below to do the following 32PRM3701/101/3/2015 * Draw an AON network diagram and calculate the early start and finish times, late start and finish times, and the total slack. (15) * Determine the critical path and establish whether the project can be completed within 25 weeks. @) * Which activities would you shorten to reduce the project by two weeks? (2) Activity | Predecessor eT A None 2 B A 4 c A 3 D A 2 E B 3 F c 6 6 ¢,D 5 H E,F 6 1 G 5 J H,1 5 Question 11 Explain what is a risk severity matrix and what does it do? (3) Question 12 What is change control management and what function does it perform? (3) Question 13 Identify the options for accelerating a project schedule when resources are NOT constrained. (5) Question 14 What is crashing? Include a discussion of crash time and crash cost in your answer. (4) Question 15 Conducting an earned value analysis requires three data elements. Identify the acronyms for each and describe what they are. 6) 33Question 16 Please read the case study below and answer the questions that follow: Adventures Unlimited was formed four years ago by Michael and Jill Maako. Michael was a trained geologist, while Jill had a master’s degree. They were both avid outdoor enthusiasts and fell in love while touring. Upon graduation they seized upon the idea of starting their own specialised tour business that would focus on organising and leading “high-end” adventure trips in South Africa. Their first trip was a three-week excursion across the East of Africa. The trip was a resounding success, and they became convinced that they could make a livelihood doing something they both enjoyed ‘After the first year, Adventures Unlimited began to slowly expand the size and scope of the business. Their strategy was a simple one. They recruited experienced, reliable people who shared their passion for Africa and the outdoors. They helped these people organise specific trips and advertised the excursion over the internet and in travel magazines, Adventures Unlimited has grown from offering 4 trips a year to having 16 different excursions scheduled, They now had an administrative support staff of three people and a relatively stable group of five trip planners/guides whom they hired on a trip-by-trip contract basis. The company enjoyed a high level of repeat business and often used their customers’ suggestions to organise future trips. Although the Maako's were pleased with the success of their venture, they were beginning to. encounter problems that worried them about the future. A couple of the tours went over budget because of unanticipated costs, which eroded that year's profit. In one case, they had to refund 30 percent of the tour fee because a group was stranded five days in the Kruger National Park after missing a bus connection. They were also having a hard time maintaining the high level of customer satisfaction to which they were accustomed. Customers were beginning to complain about the quality of the accommodations and the price of the tours. One group, unfortunately, was struck by a bad case of food poisoning. Finally, the Maako's were having a hard time tracking costs across projects and typically did not know how well they did until after their taxes were prepared. This made it difficult to plan future excursions. The Maako's shared these concerns around the family dinner table. Among the members in attendance was Michael's younger brother, Mario, a student at a nearby university, After dinner, Mario approached Michael and Jill and suggested that they look into what business people called “project management.” He had been briefly exposed to project management in his business operations class and felt that it might apply to their tour business 16.1. How will project management apply to Adventures Unlimited? How would it improve their current situation? (4) 16.2. _ Identify and briefly discuss the two key areas where project management needs to be integrated within the Adventures Unlimited (4) 16.3 Describe what it means that a project manager must work with a diverse troupe of characters relating to the case study above? (2) 34.PRM3701/101/3/2015 Question 17 Identify and briefly discuss the four major steps of facilitating the group decision-making process. (8) Question 18 What is meant by the term “groupthink”? identify four symptoms of groupthink. (6) Question 19 Identify five of the nine major items which make up a request for proposal (RFP). (9) Question 20 How does the project manager meet the challenge to keep the project team focused on the remaining project activities and delivery to the customer until the project is complete? (4) END OF SELF-ASSESSMENT. 35